Save Article

The 'Doc Fix' Follies

How a sensible and bipartisan Medicare reform dies in Congress.

March 14, 2014 6:39 p.m. ET

The Greek tragedy of bipartisan Medicare reform is entering its third strophe, or the part where everything really bad happens. We'll play the chorus and try to explain the mix of politics that is about to kill a bill that would permanently repeal a Medicare price-control ploy that disguises federal health-care spending.

The Sustainable Growth Rate, or SGR, automatically cuts physician reimbursements in the name of lower spending. But since 2002 Congress has always unplugged the formula with a periodic "doc fix,"...